Red Sox rolling rally draws thousands to Boston

Lindsey Parietti

Tuesday

Oct 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 30, 2007 at 7:37 PM

Cheering has become the official reflex of Red Sox nation. Thousands of sox fans warmed up their vocal chords yesterday as they waited for their two-time World Series champs to roll through Boston on World War II duck boats.

Cheering has become the official reflex of Red Sox nation.

Thousands of Sox fans warmed up their vocal chords yesterday as they waited for their two-time World Series champs to roll through Boston on World War II duck boats.

Puking. ``Yeah!''

Dropkick Murphys. ``Whoo!''

Domino's pizza being peddled at City Hall Plaza. ``Sweet!''

And when the players and staff rolled through in 20 of the amphibious vehicles, it only got louder.

``Sweep, sweep, sweep'' was also among the popular crowd cheers, which, of course, included time-tested favorite ``Yankees suck.''

With two World Series titles in four years under their belt, fans agreed that Red Sox nation isn't calming down.

``We've got 20,000 fans standing behind the Red Sox and that's the way it's going to be because Boston rocks,'' said Norwood resident Nelson Zapata, who sported a Red Sox banner as a cape. ``We're gonna come back in '08 and do it again!''

With the last century behind us and the curse twice reversed for good measure, Andrew Bingham of Groton doesn't think future championships will be any less special.

``We'll still be excited, especially for the third one,'' grinned Bingham. ``We're a lot crazier than (other teams' fans) I guess...but I've never been a fan of any other team.''

Around 2 p.m., EMS paramedics on bicycles said there had been no serious injuries but that more than a dozen people were being treated for dehydration and diabetes-related illness.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wouldn't estimate the anticipated size of the crowd, but worried on Monday that students wouldn't be able to attend the weekday parade.

But the timing of the ``rolling rally'' didn't stop students, college-aged and younger, from filling the streets from Fenway to City Hall Plaza.

``I don't have class on Tuesday, but if I did, I would skip it,'' said Bingham, who attends Suffolk University.

In the spirit of celebration, parents and the governor seemed willing to look the other way.

``Look, I'm not going to be truant officer-in-chief today,'' said Gov. Deval Patrick. ``I understand this is an historic occasion, and I trust that parents are making the smart decisions for the kids. I'm glad that they're out there participating.''